Script Selection

OOHP Present Original Comedy Competition

Over Our Head Players will present their popular original comedy competition, the “2018 Snowdance® 10 Minute Comedy Festival.” These original comedies will be performed together by the OOHP Snowdance ensemble January 26 – February 25. All performances are at Sixth Street Theatre, 318 Sixth Street, Downtown Racine. At each performance, audience members can vote for their favorite individual comedy; the audience favorites win cash prizes. Reservations are available through the box office, (262)632-6802. Tickets are $15.50 and $18.00.

The Snowdance® 10 Minute Comedy Festival is a competition of original short comedies. In the ultimate interactive experience, the audience can vote for the production they enjoyed the most. The votes will be tallied throughout the festival run, and the Snowdance “Best in Snow” will be awarded after the final performance February 25. A cash award of $500.00 goes to “Best in Snow”, with a $200.00 prize for second place and $100 award for third.

The Snowdance 10 Minute Comedy festival draws entrants and audiences from across the country, making Racine the home of the 10 minute comedy competition. Between July and October of 2017, a record-setting 388 scripts were submitted for consideration. Playwrights from 41 states and five foreign countries entered the competition. The Snowdance selection committee chose these to compete in production. The winning titles and their authors:

PUT ASUNDER BY JAMES MCLINDON, NORTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS - Janet is sure that Bob is “the one,” and she has grounds for comparison

Managing Artistic Director Rich Smith describes the submissions, “Every year, Snowdance truly reflects the current trends in playwrighting. It is always interesting to see the topics and styles that comprise each year’s entrants. Each season, there seem to be certain subjects that appear in multiple entries, yet change from year to year. This year, we received quite a number of scripts featuring religion, politics, and clowns.” The incredible response this year broke all past submission totals, but, Smith says, “After many hours of reading, we have chosen 10 scripts for production that represent the best of contemporary comedy writing.”

One unique festival feature is the ensemble approach. Actors play multiple roles, and some of them are also part of the directing team or production staff. The acting ensemble features John Adams, Kristin Althoff, Melissa Hughes Ernest, Nicholas Hoyt, Mary Kveton, A. J. Laird, David Maack II, Anne Mollerskov, and Ron Schulz.

The “2018 Snowdance® 10 Minute Comedy Festival” runs five weekends: January 26, 27, 28; February 2, 3, 4; 9, 10, 11; 16, 17, 18; and February 23, 24, 25. It also runs Thursdays February 1, 8, 15, and 22. Fridays are at 8:00; Saturdays are at 5:30 and 8:00; Sundays are at 2:30; and the Thursday performances are at 7:00. Tickets are $18 on Fridays and Saturdays and $15.50 on Sundays and Thursdays. Tickets may be purchased on line at www.overourheadplayers.org, or you may call the box office, (262)632-6802. All performances are at Sixth Street Theatre, 318 Sixth Street, Downtown Racine. Advance reservations are recommended as many performances are already sold out.

Over Our Head Players is a non-profit organization in their 26th season; they operate the Sixth Street Theatre in Downtown Racine. OOHPs has a commitment to original theatre. In addition to Snowdance, previous original works include Surviving Life, The Cedar Chest Letters, It’s a Wonderful Lifeboat, “Original Ones”; Ode to Garlic, Waiting for the WeinermobileTM, Big Shoes; Still Haven’t Found...; and Real Remembrances of the War in Vietnam.